Mean Ol' Moon
by CorvidaeCorvusCorax
Summary: For the second time in her adult life, Gilly has been abandoned. Takes place directly after X2. Part 5 of the Fireball Series, split into two chapters.
1. Chapter One

_A/N: Okay, so this one ended up being super long, so I cut it into two parts. Part two is still super long, so I might be able to edit it down a bit. This one has a bit more plot, I promise. Sorry it took so long to write these. Busy with work and some other projects. The title comes from the Ted 2 Soundtrack, the song that Amanda Seyfried sings, which I thought kinda fit with the tone of the story. It's a pretty awesome song, I recommend anyone to check it out. Also, I'd like to thank the guest that left a nice review on Goosebumps!_

* * *

 **Mean Ol' Moon**

 **Chapter One**

It was a full two days before the school settled back to normal. Slowly, the students were coming back after the return of Xavier and his team. There was one new face, and one face missing. Rogue filled Gilly in on all the details. On how this new mutant, _Nightcrawler_ , had been under the control of a Dr. Stryker and attempted an assassination, and how it caused an eventual ripple effect that led the military to the school and ended with a trip to Canada to find an underground facility.

Particularly heartbreaking was the story of how Dr. Jean Grey sacrificed herself for the students, and how they all escaped Alkali Lake together.

"One more thing," Rogue added.

Gilly felt a weight in her stomach, "It's about John, isn't it?"

Rogue paused first, as if trying to lighten the blow, "He ran off. He's with Magneto now."

* * *

For the second time in her life, Gilly found herself abandoned in New York. Heather Poole, her closest friend, was the first. Months had gone by and still no word from Heather. There was a growing sense of worry in Gilly. She mused on this thought as she packed her bags.

"You're not leaving to chase after John, are you?" Kitty asked. She wanted company and decided Gilly needed it to. The short brunette watched as she folded up her clothing and neatly placed it in her suitcase.

"Nope," Gilly huffed, her anger becoming more apparent. She began tearing through drawers searching for anymore of her belongings.

The second time she was abandoned, it was by John "Pyro" Allerdyce, her boyfriend. The boy who said he would never leave her in the heat of battle left her to join the perceived enemy without so much as a goodbye. Gilly wondered if her decision to stay at the school was due to their mutual attraction, and if perhaps she should have left for Boston with Heather. Maybe if she didn't have a crush on John she would be back home with her best friend. She began to wonder who was really abandoned in this situation.

"Then where the heck are you planning to go?" Kitty would have been less upset, Gilly assumed, if it weren't for the recent death of Dr. Grey and the assault on the school.

"No idea," Gilly shrugged. In one of the drawers she located her Polaroid camera and one of John's shirts. The seal was now broken and rage flooded from her. She remained silent for a moment, waiting for Kitty to prod her more.

"You can stay here," Kitty insisted, "You don't need to leave because he did."

" _I'm going home_ ," Gilly said this louder than she intended, and didn't notice she was yelling until she noticed Kitty's bewildered expression, "I should have left months ago. The only reason I even stayed was because of him! I just can't believe he'd up and leave me after all this!"

Kitty remained quiet, allowing Gilly to continue her tirade and throw her belongings in her bag. Gilly didn't even notice through her anger that a massive oak cracked through the floor. Her abilities were slipping from her, "I trusted him! He promised me he'd never leave!" _Crack_ , Kitty jumped, and another oak sprang to life.

"Gilly, calm down," Kitty said, sternly, "You're going out of control."

Gilly finally noticed that they were no longer in her dorm. They were in a thickly wooded forest. Instead of the usual blue sky she made for John, it was cloudy and dark. She focused her anger on the forest now. This was their special place. It enraged her to know that he was no longer here to share it with her, or that she even made it for him at all, she couldn't decide.

Kitty placed her hands on Gilly's shoulders, "It's okay." Gilly took a deep breath and looked at Kitty sullenly.

"I don't want to be alone," She admitted, voice barely above a whisper. Once her heart stopped pounding in her ears, the forest vanished. Leaving her and Kitty back in the dorm, untouched. Pulling away from Kitty, she swiftly flipped her sweater on and grabbed her belongings.

Before she reached the door, Kitty gave one last rebuttal, "You're not alone here, even if you think you are."

Gilly nodded once, then left once and for all.

* * *

Boston was bustling in the warm spring air. There were still some small snow piles on the sidewalks, stained grey and black from exhaust pollution. Every now and then, Gilly would feel a cold breeze against her back.

Pulling along her suitcase with one hand and keeping her sweater closed tightly against her with the other, she made her way along the familiar streets. Her first stop was a little restaurant tucked away behind a large hotel, called the Sapphire Diner. As she grew closer, the aroma of breakfast foods hit her.

"As I live and breathe! Lillian, your parents haven't heard word from you since you left. Got 'em worried sick." The woman at the counter gave an over exaggerated sigh and dramatically placed her hand over her chest. Rosie was the name on her tag, but growing up in the area, Gilly knew her as "Mrs. O'Malley." She was the owner of the diner, and something of a mother to her group of friends growing up.

Gilly sheepishly waved, "Hi, Mrs. O'Malley!" If she was going to call Gilly by her old name, she would do the same to Rosie.

Rosie waved her off, "Oh, cool it. You're an adult now, you can call me Rosie. What brings you back home?"

Gilly didn't want to say at first, but she needed someone to confide in, "Do you remember Heather Poole? I haven't seen her since she left New York. You haven't heard from her, have you?"

Rosie shook her head, "Last I heard you two were running off to New York for some kind of adventure, right before going off to college."

"Well, it got cut kind of short and Heather said she wanted to come back home," Gilly replied, "I ended up getting accepted to a special school and kind of lost contact."

"That's part of being an adult, Lillian," Rosie said, shrugging her shoulders, "Maybe she ran off somewhere else?"

"It's not like her to not contact anyone, though," Gilly insisted, followed by a sigh, "I think I'm just gonna go check up on her folks. Maybe she did make it home and she just doesn't want to talk to me."

"How about some food before you go?" Rosie offered, noting Gilly's upset reaction, "I wouldn't worry about it, Lily. She's probably been home this whole time. You'll see."


	2. Chapter Two

_A/N: This chapter is super long. Hope you guys enjoy it._

* * *

 **Mean Ol' Moon**

 **Chapter Two**

Almost a month had passed, and Pyro had fallen in line with the Brotherhood. As one of Magneto's most loyal followers, a close second to Mystique, he had been given a special job. He was sent out to recruit others to their cause. He had vague instructions, however. Pyro was given addresses and was told to go about it as he pleased (as long as he didn't bring too much attention to himself).

He found himself in a little suburb just outside of Boston. It reminded him of Bobby Drake and his experience with the Boston police. It made him smile inwardly, as he remembered the way the police cars ignited and his flames tossed officers aside.

Looking around, he focused on any teenagers that seemed a little… _off._ From his own experience, he knew what to look for. Specifically, he was looking for a girl with the ability to see remote events. However, there were no pictures on file for this person. According to the files Mystique gave him, the girl was about eighteen and she lived at 60 Rosewood Drive. No name, though, likely an unfinished work. If he could, he would avoid going too near her home, though. The less questions to answer, the better.

His earpiece chirped, and a voice came through, "Status?"

He frowned, "Nothing yet, Mystique. Just a lot of soccer moms and minivans." His eyes turned to the house, a one floor home with yellow siding and a white picket fence. The front door had a wreath of white flowers, something that reminded him of funerals, oddly.

A taxi pulled up to the house and the occupant stepped out. He watched from across the street, hoping maybe this was the girl, "Have a visual on her, I think." The person from the taxi was obscured when they ducked into the driver's window and handed them cash.

Before he could catch a look at their face, the passenger spun around, pulling along a suitcase. It looked like a girl with long, black hair and a calf-length sweater flapping behind her. Her gait was far too familiar, graceful and light-footed. He couldn't stop himself, and before he realized he was making his way toward the house.

"Pyro, do you have a visual?" Mystique asked, "Is your position compromised?"

He didn't answer, instead pulling the comm device out of his ear. When he reached the picket fence and was little more than a few yards behind the girl, he shouted, " _Gilly._ "

Gilly recognized the voice, and spun on her heel, her clunky boots clomping against the wooden porch. She didn't believe what she was seeing at first. Her first reaction was surprise, and he thought she was maybe about to smile, but her face contorted into rage and she stomped toward him.

He backed away, hands raised defensively, "Gilly-"

"Of all the houses in all the suburbs in all the world to find you, _John_ ," He hadn't heard that name in a while, and didn't quite care for the way she spat it at him, "What's the matter? Had an opportunity you couldn't miss?" She was making a scene and people were starting to notice.

"Look, Gilly, I know I left you-"

She was arm's reach away from him and did the only thing she could think of. She slapped him, "I almost died that night in the mansion. I thought _you_ were dead." He was stunned, but she wasn't sure if it was from the slap or what she said that did it, "Come to find out you ran off with Magneto! The guy who almost killed a bunch of people with the Statue of Liberty."

She threw another blow at him, but he was ready. He caught her wrist and wrestled with her for a moment, which pulled her closer into his chest until their foreheads were almost touching. In a low voice, he said, "You have no _idea_ what I saw that night. Those people were experimenting on our kind. Xavier was wrong, we _can't_ live in peace with _homo sapiens_ , not while shit like that is going on."

Gilly glared at him, ripping her arm from his grip, "How about you leave, John? You don't even have to explain anything. It's what you're good at." She shrugged and turned away, preparing to pound on the door once again.

He followed her, however, "Is this where you live?"

She gave him a confused look, "If it is, why would I be ringing the door bell? I live next door."

Something in his mind connected the dots. The girl they were looking for, now it made sense, "He wants _Heather_."

She frowned at him, "You mean Magneto?" He nodded, "Yeah well, I don't think anyone is home."

"You never heard back from her?"

She shook her head, "Nope. So either she really hates me now or something happened." The conversation stalled when she rang the bell again. The atmosphere was tense, and this would usually the point where he'd make a snarky comment and she'd roll her eyes. He'd changed, though, seemed more focused than before. She eyed him from the side and noted that his hair was also shorter than before and stuck up in the air.

There was still no answer at the door. No car in the driveway, however. He finally said, "Maybe they aren't home."

"Oh please, Heather hated going out with her parents," She huffed, then walked over to a decorative potted plant hanging from a hook. She stuck her hand in and fished around for the key. When she finally managed to grab it, she went to the door and opened the bolt with a click.

The house was quiet. It was decorated for spring already, with a large potted flower on the dining room table. Gilly headed toward the back of the house, John followed her. Down at the end of a hall was Heather's room. On the door, John noted a large hand-drawn sign with ' **FUCK OFF** ' in large, red letters. Underneath, in smaller letters, was 'Heather's Room.' Gilly entered as she had done so the millions of times before. When she turned, she saw that John was creeping in as though he didn't want to invade Heather's privacy. There were posters of bands he didn't recognize, dark and vaguely creepy drawings hung on the walls.

"She's not here," Gilly frowned. She looked in the closet, trying to find Heather's suitcase. It matched Gilly's. They were gifts from her parents when the girls told them of their plan to travel.

"We should go," John had an overarching sense of unease. This was too familiar. With Drake's shithead brother and normal parents, it didn't end well. He didn't want a repeat performance with Gilly.

"Then go," She shrugged. She was busy looking around the room and didn't care what he did at this point.

He didn't want to leave without her, though, "Not until I'm sure you're safe."

She look at him curiously, "I'm fine. Just _go_. I'm going home." She wondered what truly happened after the attack that made him act so strangely, but she was also angry about how he just disappeared without even telling her where he was going. She briskly walked by him without so much as looking at him. He followed, however.

"Gilly, I know this is gonna be hard for you to understand but leaving was the right choice for me," For a moment, he thought he may have overstepped, but she didn't respond, "Magneto understands my potential and doesn't try to make me keep cool or expect me to act like a _homo sapien_. He doesn't hold me back. I'm stronger than I ever was back at the school-"

"I don't care, John," She yelled over her shoulder and waited for him to exit the house before locking it behind them, "You chose power over me."

* * *

He followed her away from Heather's house and down the sidewalk to the next house. It was a two floor home with charcoal grey siding. The gate was metal at Gilly's house, and a little dog house stood off to the side, "If I could find you that night I would have helped you."

"Hindsight's twenty-twenty," She brushed him off as she slid her key into the door. Her parents weren't home either, which confused her more, " _Mamma_! _Pappa_!" No answer. Instead of slowly entering, John followed her quick pace into the house, pausing behind her for a moment. " _Arvid_?" Her brother wasn't home either. Walking into the kitchen, she stopped to look out into the back yard through a sliding door.

John remembered seeing guns drawn and a pair of officers slink through the Drake's backyard. It was a small flash and it was gone.

"Dog's gone too," She said out loud, "Where the hell are they?" She brushed it off and headed up the stairs.

John lingered behind. Over the mantle in the living room, he noted a large flag. It looked vaguely like a Union Jack flag but with less blue lines. He assumed it was Norwegian, since it was one of the only things Gilly ever talked about. Under the large flag were a few family photos. Taking a closer look, he saw who he assumed were her parents. Her father was a tall, lanky man with short black hair and her mother was a little shorter with chin length blond hair. Her face matched Gilly's closely, with her large doll-like green eyes, protruding cheekbones and high forehead. Beneath her parents sat two teens. Gilly sat still, wearing all black as usual, with barely a smile on her face, though John noted her hair as being a dark brown. Next to her was her brother, Arvid, a nerdy looking guy with shoulder length black hair and thick rimmed glasses.

Sticking out of the corner of the frame, he noticed a small, credit-card sized piece of paper. It had Heather's picture on it. There was also some fancy calligraphy, but he couldn't quite make out much, since someone crossed out some parts and wrote over it, except the hand written date on the back. It was today's date.

"God _damn_ it!" She shouted from upstairs. He turned on his heel, heart pounding in his ears, and ran up to her. Searching the rooms first, he found her at the second door to the left. She was standing still and looking around. He didn't quite understand what the yelling was about, "They moved my stuff around. _No one_ goes in my room."

Her bedroom fit her. John saw posters, just like the ones at Heather's house. One whole wall was covered in Polaroid photos. One in particular caught his eye. It was clearly taken by someone else, since she was the subject of the photo in question. She was laying in the leaves, with a broad smile, frozen in time. While she was distracted, John plucked the picture off the wall and shoved it into his pocket.

She tossed her suitcase on the floor and started rifling through her own belongings.

He sighed, "Can we at least talk?"

"What's there to talk about, John?"

"People don't call me that anymore," He took a sharp breath, "It's just Pyro, now."

She snorted, "Okay, _Pyro_. There's nothing to talk about with you. We're over, and we have been since you switched sides." Gilly never actually cared for the whole debate, but chose to be indifferent. This was what annoyed him. She didn't care if mutants were being experimented on by shadowy, corrupt agencies and she sure as hell didn't care if her own people were murdered for simply being different.

"So, you won't come with me this time?"

"Where the hell did you get that idea?"

He sighed, left the room, and placed his comm device back on, "Mystique?"

"You went dark," She replied, "Were you caught?"

"The girl isn't here. There's no sign of her," He said.

"Then what are you still doing there? Head to the next one."

"I'm working on something," He replied in a low tone, "I may have a different recruit."

She sighed on the other end, "Name? Powers?"

He glanced back to see if Gilly was paying attention. She was bent over her suitcase on the floor and was too focused on her belongings. Not like she would listen either way, "Lillian Rasmussen," He spelled her last name out and repeated it one more time, "All I know is that she can make these…illusions. She can make people see things." There was a long pause on the other end, prompting him to continue, "It's gonna take a little bit more convincing. We have _history_."

Gilly shouted out into the hall, "You can leave anytime you want, John."

He could practically hear a smile in Mystique's voice, "Sounds like _some_ kind of history. Just hurry up, we've got work to do." He quietly stepped into Gilly's room, pulling out the comm once more. Her back was to him now, "Gilly, I don't want you to think that I just abandoned you at that school. I was…scared…and I made some impulsive decisions."

She finally stood and faced him. She didn't look convinced, "Go on."

"…and I'm _sorry_ ," He finished. She could see that it was a massive blow to his ego, "I would have come back for you if I had the chance. There was a dam, and it was breaking down, and I happened to run across him escaping in a helicopter…I don't regret my decision, Gilly."

"I can see that," Her facial expression was hard to read, so that may have been sarcasm. He wondered if she was going to slap him again.

"I was never really accepted at Xavier's, I never bought into the whole equality thing," He continued, "I'm sure as hell not going to be accepted out in the real world, either. Do you think they'll accept you out here?"

He was referring to her parents. She stayed quiet, hoping to have a valid response. She couldn't think of one, and replied in a small voice, "I don't know."

"Xavier may have helped you with those illusions," John said, "He may have helped you gain some control. Magneto can show you how to do more than that. He can show you how to use them for good."

 _You mean being a terrorist_ , she thought but didn't say out loud.

"Come with me," He said, finally, "I can show you he isn't that bad."

" _The terrorist_ isn't so bad," She rolled her eyes.

"Seriously!" He continued, "If you had seen what they planned to do to the kids Stryker took, you'd believe me. And it's only getting worse. We have intel that there are others like him out there taking mutants from their homes and studying them… What if that happens to you? Or your brother, or what about _Heather_?"

She glared him down, making direct eye contact with him. Reading his expression, she could see in his eyes that he was being genuine. He was really worried that one night, someone would break into her house and take her away. Was it worth that feeling of safety if it meant joining a terrorist organization?

"I'll meet him," She said finally, but before he could get excited, she added, " _Once._ If I don't like what I see, I'm on the first bus back here and we're never contacting each other again. I mean it, no letters, no texts, no phone calls, nothing." If he wanted to put her life on the line for the mutant cause, she wanted to make sure she'd take something from him in return if she chose the blue pill instead.

He held out his hand for her, the same way he did when he was showing her how to have control, and suddenly she felt butterflies in her stomach. As angry as she was at him, she wanted nothing more than to feel the warmth of his skin one more time, even if it might be the last time. Taking a step closer, she reached out for his hand.

* * *

After wearing a black bag over her head, being treated like a prisoner from the helicopter ride to wherever the hell she was, and trudging across what sounded like a forest for what felt like miles, she finally stood before the man himself, Magneto.

By this point, she had only seen him on the news. He seemed like the theatrical type, with large movements and dramatic inflections in his voice. Here, he was just a guy sitting at a desk. Granted, it was a large, shiny metal desk and he wore that weird helmet like he did during his little propaganda videos, but here, he seemed less scary.

She wasn't standing alone, either. At least not technically. The shapeshifter, Mystique, stood just behind her and John stood right by her side. He seemed different, however. It was the same as he was back on Heather's porch. Unlike at Xavier's, he was standing at full attention, head held high. She was reminded of a soldier, almost.

"Lillian Rasmussen?" Her name coming from his mouth was so alien she almost didn't recognize it, "At least that's what the _humans_ called you." He had a slightly smug facial expression that didn't sit well with her, "You can create illusions. I've met quite a few like you in my time. Perhaps we should see how you compare to them?"

John had a growing feeling of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. He was aware that there was someone like her back at Alkali Lake. His name was 143 and proved himself both a useful (if not entirely consenting) ally and a formidable threat.

Gilly was anxious as well. She wasn't expecting any of this, and wasn't quite prepared to do anything on command quite yet, especially not after the bumpy (and slightly aggressive) ride. Taking a breath or two, she closed her eyes. Gilly may have been panicking too much for this to work. Knowing that John was looking at her, she longed for his hand as a tether.

"Usually, I can only do _one_ type of illusion," She admitted, then waited for him to respond. He didn't seem disappointed in the least.

"Show me," He commanded.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. _Focus on something happy_ , she told herself. She wanted to think about John first, but realized those feelings were now too complex for her to use. Instead, she thought about something simple. No one reacted for a while, which made her wonder if it even worked in the first place.

She tried to imagine the large oaks and the bright blue sky, the light breeze against her skin and the sun shining down on her. There was a tingling sensation in the front of her head, which she didn't know meant it was working or not.

" _Remarkable_ ," She opened her eyes when Magneto spoke. He was standing at a tree near her, touching its surface, "It almost feels real." John and Mystique were also in the forest with them. Mystique was more blasé about it, whereas John looked proud of her.

"I've had a lot of practice with this one," Gilly explained, "I've heard that you can train me how to make other things, though."

"I can," Magneto replied, stepping away from the tree finally, "And I will. If you'll join us, of course."

Gilly looked at John for a second too long, and the forest vanished around them. She met Magneto's gaze finally and spoke more confidently than she ever had before, "I will."

"You'll need a new name," He said, "Unless you already had one in mind."

She looked down, almost embarrassed, "How about we stick with Gilly for now?"

Magneto smirked at her, "I'll admit it doesn't have a certain ring to it, but as long as you will support our cause, it'll do for now. Welcome to the Brotherhood."

When Gilly was led out of the room by Mystique, John kept his pace with her. She couldn't quite bring herself to look at him anymore. She needed time to figure out if she really wanted all of this and couldn't stand how John… _Pyro_ …kept flashing that stupid smug smile of his at her. After all, he got what _he_ wanted.


End file.
